90-558: Utila , Honduras Fyre Festival is a luxury music festival organized by Billy McFarland , an American businessman whose enterprises have been characterized by fraud, and the American rapper Ja Rule . It was originally created with the intent of promoting the company's Fyre app for booking music talent. The festival was scheduled to take place on April 28–30 and May 5–7, 2017, on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma . A rebooted Fyre Festival 2
180-463: A choice between a full refund or VIP tickets to the following year's festival (which was proposed, but never happened). As a result of the festival, McFarland and Ja Rule were the subject of a $ 100 million lawsuit in the state of California, with Ja Rule later being dismissed from the lawsuit by the judge in July 2019. It was filed on behalf of plaintiff Daniel Jung by entertainment lawyer Mark Geragos , who
270-467: A class action suit, alleged violations that include fraud, negligence, and breach of contract. The plaintiffs, Kenneth and Emily Reel, accused the organizers of sending cease and desist letters to people who criticized the festival on social media. A seventh lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court as a class action suit on behalf of Sean Daly and Edward Ivey. In addition to the infractions mentioned in
360-640: A contract with a medical evacuation helicopter or plane." NES employees reported that the local medical clinic was closed and the accommodation was "uninhabitable" with "bug infestation, bloodstained mattresses, and no air conditioning." Also in May, festival attendee Andrew Petrozziello filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal court alleging that the organizers violated the state's consumer fraud act and committed breach of contract. A sixth lawsuit, filed in Florida federal court as
450-593: A fairly large population of Paya whom he believed to be cannibals. In 1516, licensed slavers were sent to the Islands under the authority of Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar and captured 300, killing others who put up resistance. The slaving vessel returned to Havana harbour, Santiago de Cuba , where it was taken over by the Paya who demanded repatriation. On hearing that the Paya had been repatriated, Velasquez commissioned two ships back which then captured 400 Paya on Utila and on one of
540-515: A flight to the Bahamas , McFarland and Ja Rule's private plane touched down on a lightly populated island which they later discovered was Norman's Cay , the former private island of Carlos Lehder Rivas , a kingpin of the Medellín Cartel . McFarland then leased the island from the current owners, with the owners giving the strict condition that McFarland make no reference to Pablo Escobar (leader of
630-564: A fraudulent "luxury" music festival which became notorious online and in the media for its shambolic organization, and the numerous lawsuits that followed. Exuma International Airport serves the island of Great Exuma including the city of George Town directly from Nassau , Miami , Atlanta , Fort Lauderdale , Charlotte , and Toronto . Staniel Cay and Black Point also have small airstrips commercially served by charter or scheduled charter airlines. A number of other cays have small airstrips, both private and public. Boat travel from Nassau to
720-463: A haven for celebrities for years. Until recently, the tourist population on the island was extremely minimal, allowing anonymity for anyone escaping the spotlight. Frequent visitors included Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon , who stayed at the Goat Cay home of Babbie Holt, Jackie Onassis , Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn , and Sigourney Weaver , who vacationed there with her family. More recently,
810-519: A history of overpromising" in his previous business ventures, and cited multiple examples, including McFarland selling VIP tickets to the musical Hamilton for $ 430 then cancelling at the last minute. In a complaint to the Better Business Bureau , one customer seeking a refund reported getting no response to multiple queries for over a month and a half. The event was promoted on Instagram by Kardashian family socialite Kendall Jenner (who
900-399: A note on Twitter that said "I wanted this to be an amazing event it was NOT A SCAM as everyone is reporting; I don't know how everything went so left but I'm working to make it right by making sure everyone is refunded." He went on to say "I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT... but I'm taking responsibility." Many news organizations compared the chaos to William Golding 's novel Lord of
990-607: A popular spot for yachting , sailing , diving , and coral reef and cave exploring . Many of the unnamed beaches and coves of the islands, including extensive offshore reef areas, are included in the protected Exuma National Land and Sea Park or the Moriah Harbour Cay National Park of the Bahamas National Trust . Some of the islands on which there are permanent residents and resorts include Great Exuma, Little Exuma, Stocking Island, Staniel Cay (home of
SECTION 10
#17328548976701080-726: A reputation as a luxury travel destination. The telephone area code for the island is 242, which is the same as the rest of the Bahamas. There are 2 main telecommunication providers that cover most of the Exuma cays, Aliv and BTC Bahamas . High-speed internet is available from both providers with varying technologies such as DSL, cellular and fiber optic cable becoming available. The annual Bahamian Music and Heritage Festival, Regattas, Junkanoo and various "homecoming" events held in smaller settlements are highly anticipated in The Exumas by tourists and islanders alike. These festivals may focus on
1170-466: A result of the morning rain. The gourmet food accommodations were nothing more than inadequate and poor quality food (including cheese sandwiches served in foam containers ). Festival-goers were dropped off at the production bungalow where McFarland and his team were based so they could be registered, but after hours of waiting in vain, people rushed to claim their own tents. Although there were only about 500 people, there were not enough tents and beds for
1260-430: A road to a nearby beach, where they built some cabanas and installed swing seats. On the mainland, 5,000 tickets had been sold, and an air service was hired to charter festival-goers from Miami. A medical-services company and caterer were also hired, but the caterer withdrew a few weeks before the festival. With only two weeks to go, a new catering service with a $ 1 million total budget was hired, drastically reduced from
1350-566: A second count to defraud a ticket vendor (while out on bail). In October 2018, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to forfeit US$ 26 million. At least eight lawsuits were initiated against the organizers for defrauding ticket buyers, several seeking class action status, and one seeking more than $ 100 million in damages. Two documentaries about the events of the festival were released in 2019: Hulu 's Fyre Fraud , and Netflix 's Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened . On April 9, 2023, Billy McFarland tweeted that there
1440-457: A tropical beach. Text with the video promised "an immersive music festival ... two transformative weekends ... on the boundaries of the impossible". This was the beginning of the Fyre Festival's promotional campaign, during which McFarland himself claimed that the island had been owned by Pablo Escobar, a falsehood. The owners cancelled their arrangement with McFarland soon after. When the event
1530-470: A world-famous destination. The entire island chain is 130 mi (209 km) long and 72 sq mi (187 km²) in area. Great Exuma island has an area of 61 sq mi (158 km²) while Little Exuma has an area of 11 sq mi (29 km²). Between 2000 and 2010, the population of Exuma more than doubled, reflecting the construction of large and small resort properties and the related direct air traffic to Great Exuma from locations as distant as Toronto , Canada. The population in 2010
1620-481: Is a part of both the local and tourism economies of Exuma. Visitors may fish on their own, hire a fishing guide or charter for sport while the local fishing economy primarily supports the local population's food supply. Locals can be often seen fishing from shore and bridges presumably for their own food, often using a hand line . Known as the "Grey Ghost", bonefish can be found in the flats areas covered by as little as one foot of water, or less. Their fair colouration
1710-532: Is a recurring event at the beginning of every year. Others include the George Town Cruising Regatta and Black Point Regatta. Rowing is being developed in Exuma with the aim of developing the island as an outlet for competitive and recreational rowing. For elections to the House of Assembly of the Bahamas , Exuma is part of the " The Exumas and Ragged Island " constituency. The main island has been
1800-467: Is alleging that the festival organizers and financial backers committed breach of contract and fraudulently deceived Tablelist and ticket purchasers. Tablelist is seeking $ 3.5 million to refund customers, as well as damages resulting from loss of business after being forced to lay off 40% of their workforce to focus on the litigation. On July 3, 2018, two North Carolina attendees, Seth Crossno and Mark Thompson, were awarded $ 5 million in damages. The judgment
1890-415: Is often similar or a slight variation of traditional Bahamian dishes. The George Town Fish Fry is a collection of businesses, some of which are only open at night serving a variety of cuisine. It is popular among local residents and tourists alike. The capital, George Town , is home to government offices, shops and services that serve both the traveling public and residents of the islands. As of 2021 there
SECTION 20
#17328548976701980-500: Is part of the Islas de la Bahía y Cayos Cochinos Important Bird Area (IBA), designated as such by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of white-crowned pigeons , chimney swifts and yellow-naped amazons . Since 2013 the entire island and its cays have been designated as a protected Ramsar site . Popular cays include Water Cay, Pigeon Cay and Sandy Cay. Archeological, historical and ethnographic evidence of
2070-417: Is perfectly adapted as camouflage against the sandy ocean bottom, making the fish difficult to spot in spite of the clear Bahamian waters. Anglers may employ spin casting equipment, but more often opt for fly-fishing in their hunt for bonefish. Other flats fish targets may include permit and tarpon . Fishing in Exuma is primarily separated into two broad regions, the shallower southern or western side and
2160-586: Is scheduled for April 25 to 28, 2025 with the main stage on one of the islands near Quintana Roo , with a 2nd VIP stage located 150 miles south on the Island of Utila , with plans to fly VIP guests between both stages via helicopter and private planes. The original FF1 event was promoted on Instagram by social media influencers , actors, reality TV stars and models including Kendall Jenner , Bella Hadid , Hailey Baldwin , and Emily Ratajkowski , many of whom did not initially disclose they had been paid to do so. During
2250-533: Is seeking class action status for the lawsuit with more than 150 plaintiffs. Per the filing, Jung's lawsuit alleges fraud, breach of contract (partly because of the decision by the organizers to make the festival cashless so that attendees didn't bring money for taxis), breach of covenant of good faith (partly due to the inadequate catering and the incident where attendees were locked in the airport) and negligent misrepresentation. Ben Meiselas of Geragos's firm pledged to hold "all those who recklessly and blindly promoted
2340-488: The $ 6 million originally allocated to provide what was promised as "uniquely authentic island cuisine...local seafood, Bahamian-style sushi and even a pig roast". In March 2017, Fyre also hired a veteran event producer, Yaron Lavi, who saw that it was impossible to hold the sort of event McFarland and Ja Rule envisioned at the site. He assumed they would postpone the event to November as they had been discussing, as they were not ready. However, when Fyre told him they would stage
2430-527: The Bay Islands indicates that they were inhabited before the European's arrival in 600 AD by a pre-Columbian culture known as the Paya and now known as Pech. The Paya people may have entered Central America in the great North to South America migration in 5,000 BC, although linguistic studies indicate that the Paya may have been descendants of South American tribes. Christopher Columbus , on his fourth voyage to
2520-518: The Bay Islands to the Honduran government in the mid 19th century. It was at this time that the nearly uninhabited islands were being populated by its now Caymanian roots. They remain rich in Caymanian culture and dialect. Utila has been a part of Honduras for approximately 150 years. For nearly 200 years Spanish conquistadores and British pirates battled for control of these islands, ignoring
2610-556: The Callinagu subsequently exterminated the Arahuaco men, but kept and bred with their women creating a new ethic subgroup that became known as the Caliponan, or Yellow Caribs. In 1635 African slaves who had been shipwrecked by their own devices began to marry the Caliponan women, adopting their language and culture so as to assimilate locally and thwart their owners attempts to retrieve them. Thus
2700-672: The Carolinas was set in Great Exuma. The Exumas are the historic home of the indigenous Lucayans , who were wholly enslaved in the 16th century, leaving the islands uninhabited until the 18th century. In the intervening period, the Exumas provided many hideouts and stashes for pirates . Elizabeth Harbour was allegedly a favorite lair of Captain Kidd . In 2017, it was the site of the Fyre Festival ,
2790-562: The Exuma–Bahamas Cays; they are distinguished by a three-digit suffix number. The best known examples are adjoined cays Exuma 642 and 643, which are suffering from receding shorelines . John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle , a Loyalist settler of the Exumas, is a major figure in the islands' heritage. Upon his death in 1842, he bestowed all of his significant Exuma land holdings to his slaves . As a result, towns on Great Exuma such as Rolleville and Rolletown were named after him. The islands are
Fyre Festival - Misplaced Pages Continue
2880-517: The Flies and Suzanne Collins 's novel The Hunger Games . The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism apologized on behalf of the nation, and denied having any responsibility for how the events unfolded. The workers who constructed the site and the restaurant that provided meals for festival staff were never paid, leading to the restaurant owner appealing for assistance on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe . Fyre Festival announced that it would offer all attendees
2970-540: The Fyre Festival's inaugural weekend, the event experienced problems related to security, food, accommodation, medical services, and artist relations, resulting in the festival being indefinitely postponed and eventually cancelled. Instead of the gourmet meals and luxury villas for which festival attendees had paid thousands of dollars, they allegedly received packaged sandwiches and were lodged in poorly furnished tents. In March 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud to defraud investors and ticket holders, and
3060-610: The Garifuna maintain a strong presence in the Sandy Bay community, on the westernmost side of East Harbor, a number of them having made the journey to Utila from Cayo Chachahuate, a small nearby island that is a bastion of the Bay Island's Garifuna. With favourable diving conditions, the island increasingly attracts general tourists, along with more traditional international backpacker visitors. More than eighty diving sites are located around
3150-614: The Garifuna society was born. On 12 April 1797, a total of 2,248 Garifunas were sent to Honduras and the Bay Islands in an attempt by the English to restrain the Garifuna from assisting the French in the English/French dispute over the islands of Martinique, and Saint Lucia. Scattered on the north coast of Honduras and in the Bay Islands, the Garifuna still populate much of the Bay Islands, maintaining their own cultural identity and language. On Roatan
3240-547: The Medellín Cartel) in any marketing materials. Promotional footage with hired supermodels was shot on Norman's Cay, and planning for the festival went ahead. On December 12, 2016, Kendall Jenner , Emily Ratajkowski , and other influencers paid by Fyre simultaneously posted to their Instagram feeds a video with a thumbnail consisting of an orange square and a logo made of stylized flames. The video showed Bella Hadid and other models represented by her agency running around
3330-489: The Northern Exuma Cays is approximately one hour. Local transportation may consist of taxis, rental vehicle or golf cart depending on the cay. The Exumas are known for fresh food and cultural significance to The Bahamas . Sea life regularly caught for commercial purpose include barracuda , bonefish , conch , grouper , jack , lobster , marlin , sailfish , snapper , tarpon , tuna and wahoo . Exumian food
3420-592: The Southern District of New York . On June 30, 2017, McFarland was arrested and charged with one count of wire fraud . Utila Utila ( Spanish : Isla de Utila ) is the smallest of Honduras ' major Bay Islands , after Roatán and Guanaja , in a region that marks the south end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System , the second-largest in the world. It has been documented in history since Columbus' fourth voyage. The eastern end of
3510-502: The Spanish cargo vessels laden with gold and other treasures from the New World . The Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan established his base at Port Royal on Roatán, about 30 kilometers from Utila, in the mid-17th century; at that time as many as 5,000 pirates were living on that island. Colonisation by the Spanish began in the early 16th century. Over the next century, the Spanish plundered
3600-679: The Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a fixture in the Exumas), Fowl Cay, Musha Cay and Iguana Cay. Thunderball Grotto, located just a few hundred yards off Staniel Cay, is one location where the James Bond film Thunderball was filmed. Sandy Cay, just a short boat ride from Little Exuma was the location used for filming the Pirates of the Caribbean beach scenes and a Shell commercial. The novel Wind from
3690-683: The aftermath of the event. FuckJerry and Jerry Media were partially responsible for promotions and social media marketing. Fyre Festival posted a statement on their website: Fyre Festival set out to provide a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience on the Islands of the Exumas. Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests. At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get everyone off of Great Exuma and home safely as quickly as we can. We ask that guests currently on-island do not make their own arrangements to get to
Fyre Festival - Misplaced Pages Continue
3780-663: The airport as we are coordinating those plans. We are working to place everyone on complimentary charters back to Miami today; this process has commenced and the safety and comfort of our guests is our top priority. The festival is being postponed until we can further assess if and when we are able to create the high-quality experience we envisioned. We ask for everyone's patience and cooperation during this difficult time as we work as quickly and safely as we can to remedy this unforeseeable situation. We will continue to provide regular updates via email to our guests and via our official social media channels as they become available. Ja Rule posted
3870-417: The best regional talent to perform. Unique local cuisine includes white bread made with coconut milk, mango jam, conch meat, and crab. Other common dishes on Utila include Sopa de Caracol (a coconut based conch soup), fried whole fish, as well as fried hog. The island is served by Utila Airport , and connects to all of Honduras's international larger airports. Although Utila has had minimal COVID-19 cases,
3960-571: The chain of islands. Some books have been written about living in Exuma, including Life on a Rock and This Sweet Place: Island Living and Other Adventures . St. John's Baptist Church was built in 1892; St. Theresa's Church was built in 1960; St. Andrews Anglican Parish is the oldest church in Georgetown. The Baptist church of Farmer's Hill ordained Rev. Stephen Smith in 2015. Rev. Smith 'superseded' Dr. Irvin Clarke Sr., who had been pastor for
4050-402: The change; he just simply renamed the island "Fyre Cay". With no infrastructure and no villas, the team had just under two months to turn Roker Point into Fyre Cay. An investor, fashion executive Carola Jain, reportedly arranged for Fyre to receive a $ 4 million loan, most of which was used to rent luxurious offices in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. With no experience staging an event of
4140-399: The company to repay at least US$ 500,000 of the loan within 16 days. Fyre informed ticket-holders that the event would be "cashless (and cardless)", with purchases at the festival to be paid for with an RFID "FyreBand" linked to their credit card (despite warnings that such digital bracelets would be useless because of the poor Wi-Fi connection at the site). In order to raise quick cash for
4230-577: The deep water of Exuma Sound , although some inshore fishing grounds exist such as in Moriah Harbour National Park. These areas are habitat for other types of fish including various snapper , grunts , jacks , grouper are possible to be caught throughout the fishing areas in Exuma while pelagic species like wahoo , mahi-mahi , barracuda , marlin , tuna , sailfish and more are primarily caught in Exuma Sound. The islands have built
4320-399: The event in the spring anyway, Lavi told them to abandon plans for temporary villas and instead erect tents, the only accommodation that could be delivered in the time remaining. Lavi advised Fyre to make this clear to those who had already bought tickets, as otherwise it would be damaging to their brand. He says the company assured him that an email was being prepared, but he was not sure if it
4410-426: The event, and with under two weeks to go before the inaugural event, attendees were encouraged to load their FyreBands with thousands of dollars in advance, according to one lawsuit. McFarland, who signed the email, suggested that attendees deposit $ 300–500 for every day they planned to attend. About $ 2 million from festival goers was taken for these bracelets, 40% of which, according to a lawsuit later filed by Birnbaum,
4500-483: The falsehood that the festival was being hosted on Pablo Escobar's private island, with maps of the site altered to make it appear as if Roker Point was an island unto itself. In reality, the festival was in a remote parking lot north of a Sandals Resort and a nearby marina where locals' boats were stored. Furthermore, Great Exuma was not a private or remote island. Instead, the festival was scheduled to take place in an abandoned resort development. McFarland never announced
4590-640: The festival by paying more than 400 social media personalities and celebrities to promote it. The parties were accused of breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud, but the suit was later dismissed. A Bloomberg reporter filed a FOIA request to the FTC regarding their Instagram knowledge, after the second class action lawsuit. A third lawsuit was filed in New York federal court against Ja Rule, McFarland, Fyre Media, and chief marketing officer Grant Margolin. Plaintiffs Matthew Herlihy and Anthony Lauriello accused
SECTION 50
#17328548976704680-481: The festival had been promoted as a cashless event, leaving many attendees without money for taxi fare or other expenses. Many attendees were reportedly stranded, as flights to and from the island were cancelled after the Bahamian government issued an order that barred any planes from landing at the airport. The first flight back to Miami boarded at 1:30 a.m. on April 28, but was delayed for hours due to issues with
4770-588: The festival organizers of "false representations, material omissions... negligence, fraud, and violations of consumer protection statutes." "Upon the arrival of guests to the island of Great Exuma for the first weekend, the island was lacking basic amenities, was covered in dirt, and guests had to sleep in tents with wet blankets," the suit claims. "There were no communal showers or bathrooms as promised; instead there were porta potties (only about one for every 200 yards) that were knocked down and only three showers although there were hundreds of people arriving." This lawsuit
4860-484: The festival would be postponed and that the attendees would be returned to Miami as soon as possible. Reports from the festival mentioned various other problems, such as the mishandling or theft of guests' baggage, no lighting to help people find their way around, an unfinished gravel lot, a lack of medical personnel or event staff, no cell phone or internet service, insufficient portable toilets , no running water and heavy-handed security. These problems were exacerbated as
4950-549: The festival" accountable, which was interpreted as being directed at Jenner, Hadid, and other social media influencers. A Geragos lawyer stated that Fyre Festival sent cease and desist letters to whistleblowers. A second class action lawsuit against Fyre Media, McFarland, Ja Rule, and the event promoters identified as " Does 1–100" was filed in Los Angeles by personal injury lawyer John Girardi on behalf of three attendees. The plaintiff alleges that they deceived patrons into attending
5040-460: The flight's manifest. It was cancelled after sunrise, and passengers were locked in the Exuma Airport terminal with no access to food, water, or air conditioning; a passenger wrote on social media that at least one person in there passed out from the heat. The flight eventually left Exuma later that morning, and more charter flights to Miami departed from Exuma throughout the day. One attendee who
5130-408: The food, sailing competition, arts, and music of the local culture. Because the population is so tiny, there is a small traditional media industry. The Bahamas is served by many newspapers, radio stations and web sites, whereas the local media on Great Exuma consists of The Blaze 98.3 FM. The Chain is a free newspaper published monthly and is the "one source for current and accurate information" on
5220-411: The guests, so they wound up stealing from others. Attendees were unable to leave the festival for the nearby Sandals resorts as it was peak season, with almost every hotel on Great Exuma already fully booked for the annual Exuma Regatta. Around nightfall, a group of local musicians took to the stage and played for a few hours, the only act to perform at the event. In the early morning, it was announced that
5310-440: The impact of the pandemic on Utila's tourism dependent economy was devastating after 15 March 2021. From 13 September 2021 the ferries and airlines resumed service to the island. During that six-month period, many Utilians were faced with economic hardship caused by the lack of tourists. In response, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Support Utila , was formed to provide additional food, medication, vitamins and other resources to
5400-527: The island among its extensive reefs teeming with marine life, including the elusive whale shark . Utila was also the home of the annual festival Sunjam. Sunjam was the largest electronic music event in Honduras, and one of the largest and most important in Central America. The date was fixed to the first Saturday of August every year. The event attracted world class international DJs as headliners and invites
5490-594: The island for its slave trade and eliminated the island of its natives by the early 17th century. Britain, in its aggressive attempt to out-colonize the Spanish in the Caribbean, occupied the Bay Islands on and off between 1550 and 1700. During this time, the buccaneers found the vacated, mostly unprotected islands a haven for safe harbour and transport. Utila is rich in pirate lore, and even presently, scuba divers look for sunken treasure from Captain Morgan's lost booty from his raid on Panama in 1671. The British were forced to give
SECTION 60
#17328548976705580-547: The island is capped by a thin veneer of basaltic volcanic rocks, erupted from several pyroclastic cones including 74 m (243 ft) Pumpkin Hill which forms the highest point on the island. The people of Utila are of African ( Garifuna ), English and Dutch descent. At the time of the 2013 Honduras census, Utila municipality had a population of 3,947. Of these, 82.32% were Mestizo , 13.42% White , 2.10% Black or Afro-Honduran , 0.26% Indigenous and 1.91% others. The island
5670-480: The islands is Great Exuma, which is 37 mi (60 km) in length and joined to another island, Little Exuma, by a small bridge. The capital and largest town in the district is George Town (population 1,437). It was founded 1793 and located on Great Exuma. Near the town, but on Little Exuma, the Tropic of Cancer runs across Pelican Beach lending it another name: Tropic of Cancer Beach. Its white sand and turquoise waters make it
5760-463: The islands were used by John McAfee , founder of McAfee Software , who conducted his brief 2020 presidential campaign from a boat moored in the harbour. The Bahamian tax structure may be an advantage for some with the desire to establish residency, while others may purchase homes for private use or investment. Some have purchased private islands , while others have purchased more common homes. A number of well-known people own islands or residences in
5850-546: The judge determining that it had not been proven his promotion of the festival on social media had directly led to the plaintiffs' attending. On May 21, 2017, The New York Times reported McFarland and his associates were under an active federal criminal investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for mail fraud, wire fraud , and securities fraud . The case was overseen by the United States Attorney for
5940-622: The native people for the most part. During this period, the Islands were used for food and wood supplies, safe harbour, and slave trading. Remains of British forts and towns named after famous pirates remain as their legacy. Making a significant impact on Utila's cultural base were the Black Caribs, who originated as the Callinagu in the Orinoco Delta in Brazil. Migrating north to the Lower Antilles
6030-399: The new world, landed on the island of Guanaja on 30 July 1502, after encountering a small fleet of dugout canoes destined from the mainland to the Bay Islands. These vessels were filled with cotton cloth, maize, cacao, beans, copper goods and wooden swords with sharp flint edges, and on this meeting one dugout canoe carrying 25 men, women and children was captured. On land, Columbus encountered
6120-505: The next level", including "private members-only concerts, tastings with notable chefs, and exclusive art previews at top galleries". The Washington Post reported that "some of those benefits never materialized or were far from what was advertised". "They send the same email for every problem, but it's like fill-in-the-blanks for what the problem is", a member reported to Business Insider . Magnises reportedly became profitable in 2015. The Washington Post also reported that McFarland "has
6210-408: The other islands, and during this raid 100 Paya were reported to have been killed. After their capture, this and future shipments of Paya slaves were forced to work in mines, farm sugar cane plantations and tend livestock on Santiago de Cuba, and were also sent to work in the gold and silver mines of Mexico. Later on, English, French, and Dutch pirates established settlements on the islands and raided
6300-519: The other lawsuits, this suit alleges unjust enrichment and violation of New York state business law, claiming that the organizers continued to offer VIP upgrades and opportunities to deposit money into the "Fyre Band" payment system after the festival had been canceled. An eighth lawsuit was filed in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston on behalf of ticketing vendor Tablelist. The company
6390-487: The planning, and at one point it was suggested they reschedule the 2017 festival until 2018. These plans, however, were revoked at the last minute with the decision to go on with the event as planned. "Let's just do it and be legends, man," one of the organizers is reported to have said. After the Comcast deal fell through, McFarland obtained $ 3 million in temporary financing for Fyre through investor Ezra Birnbaum that required
6480-446: The post. Only later was it reported that Jenner and the others had been paid to make the posts, something they were required under federal law to disclose. The Federal Trade Commission said #ad only worked at the beginning of paid posts, and that the hashtag alone was not a sufficient disclaimer. Hadid acknowledged participating in the promotion, and apologized. Baldwin revealed that she donated her entire payment to charity after seeing
6570-587: The previous 45 years. The culvert at Farmer's Hill is being repaired, with sustainable development by an islands construction company. Sandals Emerald Bay has an 18-hole golf course designed by professional golfer Greg Norman . Emerald Bay hosts the Great Exuma Classic on the Web.com Tour . Sailing is a popular sport in Exuma and with many competitions year-round. The Family Island Regatta in George Town
6660-602: The proposed festival's scale, McFarland began approaching companies that did, and was reportedly taken aback when informed the event would cost at least $ 50 million to stage in the time available, as he had promised. Furthermore, the more experienced consultants told them that in addition to the cost, an event of this magnitude would have needed an extra year to plan. McFarland and his associates at Fyre believed it would cost far less, and continued with their plans under that assumption. The organizers tried to do things themselves where possible; McFarland supposedly learned how to rent
6750-498: The residents. Founded by the owner of the Coral View Beach Resort , Heath Miller, the organization continues it's working today focusing on education, animal welfare and medical support for the island. Support Utila provided over 55,000 pounds of donates food during the pandemic in 2020. Cave dive sites: Great Exuma Exuma is a district of The Bahamas , consisting of over 365 islands and cays . The largest of
6840-476: The same weekend as the Exuma Regatta , a Bahamian sailing race series that utilized most of the island's hotels, vacation rentals and resources. While the festival's promotional material kept claiming that the festival would be held on a remote private island that once belonged to drug trafficker Pablo Escobar , workers were busy preparing Roker Point for the festival, scattering sand over its rocks and improving
6930-427: The site. Meanwhile, organizers had to renegotiate the guarantees they offered to the people who would be playing at the festival as costs spiraled out of control. Later arrivals were taken directly to the grounds by school bus where the true state of the festival's site became apparent: their accommodations were little more than scattered disaster relief tents with dirt floors, some with mattresses that were soaking wet as
7020-648: The stage by doing a Google Search . In the days leading up to the festival, they cut expenses extensively, having learned that the luxury villas alone were going to cost $ 10 million, and targeted deposits for the bands, food, infrastructure, and staff. Scheduled for two weekends in April and May 2017, the event sold day tickets at prices from US$ 500 to US$ 1,500 , and VIP packages including airfare and luxury tent accommodation for US$ 12,000 . Customers were promised accommodation in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes " and meals from celebrity chefs. The final advertised lineup
7110-410: Was 1 bank, a police station, 2 grocery stores, 3 liquor stores, a gas station and 1 hotel within the town proper although there are a few other businesses nearby that are typically associated as being in George Town due to proximity. There are a number of restaurants throughout Exuma, the majority of which serve variations of local cuisine, and some that serve other cuisines such as Italian . Fishing
7200-616: Was 6,928. The indigenous Lucayan people called the Exuma Cays as Curateo , meaning "outer far distant land". Exuma was settled in or around 1783 by American colonial loyalists fleeing the Revolutionary War . The expatriates brought a cotton plantation economy to the islands. George Town was named in honour of George III , to whom the settlers maintained their loyalty. A few smaller cays still remain partially or wholly privately owned, albeit they are still referred to as part of
7290-503: Was dismissed in November 2019 with leave to replead with respect to particular allegations against Ja Rule. On May 4, another lawsuit was filed by National Event Services (NES), which provided medical services for the festival and claimed to have suffered $ 250,000 in damages, alleging breach of contract, fraud, and negligence by the organizers. The suit alleged that Fyre "failed and/or refused" to buy cancellation insurance and "failed to secure
7380-417: Was for 33 artists, including Pusha T , Tyga , Desiigner , Blink-182 , Major Lazer , Disclosure , Migos , Rae Sremmurd , Kaytranada , Lil Yachty , Matoma , Klingande , Skepta , Claptone , Le Youth , Tensnake , Blond:ish , and Lee Burridge . In the days leading up to the festival, all of these acts pulled out. Additionally, organizers of the Fyre Festival planned their first event for April 28–30,
7470-477: Was granted against Billy McFarland in absentia after he failed to respond to the court proceedings. Ja Rule was initially named as a co-defendant, but was later removed from the suit after an undisclosed private agreement with the two attendees' attorney. Ja Rule said in January 2019 that he had also been defrauded by McFarland; in November 2019, he was dismissed from a class action lawsuit filed by festival attendees,
7560-578: Was kicked off of Norman's Cay, organizers only had four months before their inaugural festival on April 28–30. After several small islands that seemed like likely venues were turned down, and with only two months to go before the Fyre Festival, the Bahamian government gave McFarland a permit to use a site set aside for development at Roker Point ( 23°38′06″N 75°55′08″W / 23.6350°N 75.9188°W / 23.6350; -75.9188 ) on Great Exuma , just north of Sandals Emerald Bay Resort . Material released on social media continued to promote
7650-417: Was paid $ 250,000 and has since deleted the post), Bella Hadid , Emily Ratajkowski , Hailey Baldwin , Elsa Hosk , Chanel Iman , Lais Ribeiro , Alessandra Ambrosio , Shanina Shaik , Nadine Leopold , Rose Bertram , Gizele Oliveira , Hannah Ferguson , and other niche-actresses and media personalities. Ratajkowski was reportedly the only actress or model to use the hashtag #ad, but has also since deleted
7740-517: Was sent. Comcast Ventures considered investing $ 25 million in the Fyre app, which McFarland apparently hoped would allow him to finance the festival, but declined days beforehand. Reportedly, McFarland had valued Fyre Media at $ 90 million, but was unable to provide sufficient proof of that when Comcast requested it. Writing for New York magazine, one of the event organizers later noted that since at least mid-March there had been significant problems with
7830-558: Was stuck in Miami reported that the pilot of their airplane had told them to get off so they could turn the plane around for immediate departure, as they were now serving as a rescue aircraft to get attendees off Great Exuma Island. In 2013, with US$ 3,100,000 (equivalent to about $ 4,050,000 in 2023) in venture capital and 25 employees, McFarland also founded a card company called Magnises which promised members paying an annual $ 250 fee that they could "unlock their cities and take their lives to
7920-493: Was to be a Fyre Festival II. On September 4, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Billy McFarland officially confirmed Fyre Festival II, set to take place in the Caribbean. The only location McFarland discussed was Utila , a small Honduran island. The festival was organized by Billy McFarland and Ja Rule , to promote the Fyre music booking app. Ja Rule had come to know McFarland through regular visits to events McFarland hosted at his previous venture, Magnises . During
8010-426: Was used by McFarland to pay off the short-term loan. Early in the morning of April 27, heavy rain fell on Great Exuma, soaking the open tents and mattresses piled out in the open air for guest arrivals later that day. The first flights from Miami International Airport to Exuma International Airport , operated by Swift Air and Xtra Airways , landed at 6:20 a.m. That afternoon, Blink-182 announced that it
8100-475: Was withdrawing from the festival, stating in a Twitter post that: "We're not confident that we would have what we need to give you the quality of performances we always give our fans." Initial arrivals were taken to an "impromptu beach party" at a beachside restaurant, where they were plied with alcohol and kept waiting for around six hours while frantic preparations at the festival site continued. McFarland had hired hundreds of local Bahamian workers to help build
#669330